Man, Species and the Elements John Davidson is the author of a series of six books on Science and Mysticism

which look at the natural world from a mystical perspective.

The author is a Cambridge science graduate with a life-long interest in mysticism.

This article is derived from his Natural Creation and the Formative Mind.

8 Copyright, July 1991 John Davidson www.johndavidson.org

The Tattwas and the Species The Sanskrit writings of the ancient yogis and sages, endorsed in broad outline by more recent mystics, probably contain a more detailed analysis of the inner energies and constitution of man, other species and the universe than can be gleaned from any other source. Many terms are used to describe the various subtle forces, powers, energies and attributes of the subtle realms that lie within and like the image in a projector forming images upon the screen they act as the formative blueprints for all that is manifested or projected at lower levels of creation. Amongst the most fundamental of these energies are the five tattwas, often translated (misleadingly) as the elements. The tattwas are the five fundamental states or conditions of matter gross or subtle. First originating in the exquisitely subtle realms of the Universal Mind, they are reflected downward through the astral realm, until we finally perceive them as the substance of our physical realm. Like the sun which is reflected in a bucket of water and thence upon a wall, the original clarity or truer reality is increasingly obscured with each reflection. And at the human level we are lost in ignorance, taking the diffused reflection upon the wall to be the only reality. At the gross physical level we observe these states as earth (solid state), water (liquid state), fire (electromagnetic energy, plasmic state, vibrational energy of heat), air (gaseous state) and ether or akash (the energy or fabric of space or vacuum). In their subtle forms, these five tattwas are essentially mental in character and it is within the energy domain of the five subtle tattwas that our mental, emotional, psychological and instinctive life has its existence as real energy fields. The details of this arrangement are discussed in both The Web of Life and Natural Creation and the Formative Mind. The five tattwas also underlie our five sensory and five motor systems. It is also the subtle tattvic configuration or mental energy system with which a creature is endowed or, more realistically, constrained which determines its level of consciousness and intelligence. When that subtle energetic matrix is projected outwardly as the body of the creature, we then perceive it as a living organism, complete with sense organs, behavioural patterns, instincts and everything else which makes a particular creature so individual. In other words, what demarcates one species from another is the subtle energy matrix which makes up the inner nature and thence the outward form of that species, whether man or animal, insect or plant. Just as with ourselves, what a creature is, is determined within itself; the outward form is only a projection of its more subtle patterns.

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So, why is there a difference in intelligence between the species? Why is man more intelligent than apes, and apes cleverer than rats? Why can rats out-perform birds in laboratory intelligence tests and why are birds able to out-think insects and reptiles? And why do we automatically assume that plants have the lowest level of consciousness, even though tests have shown that they too respond to human thought and emotion? And why are there particular classes of creature? Why are there no plants that can move about on legs, with burrowing, but retractable root systems perhaps, or creatures that are half-insect, half-reptile? Or green-skinned animals which can photosynthesize? Why no reptiles and mammals with feathers and true bird-like wings? Why cant man fly? Why is there no smooth, homogeneous curve of creature after creature, each imperceptibly blending into the other in outward appearance and inward consciousness and intelligence? Why are there individual species at all and no smooth curve of life forms, the one barely distinguishable from its nearest relative. This would surely be the logical outcome of a Darwinian style of evolution, based upon chance or random mutations. The answer, say centuries of mystics, is because just as the outer world consists of the five states of matter which have a tendency to separate from each other, creating divisions or surfaces, so too does the inward and more subtle morphogenic fabric that makes a species what it is, consist of these same five tattwas in subtle form. So although these subtle states of energy are intermingled in life forms, all the same, their arrangement into complex configurations still results in the definitive outward patterns that we call species. Plants, for example, have only the water tattwa active in their inner patterning. Insects are of fire and air; birds of fire, air and water; higher animals of fire, air, water and earth; while man alone has all five tattwas active within him. Note that the word used is active tattwas. Naturally, this is reflected to some extent in the outer body, in the gross tattvic states which are drawn into the gross physical body of the creature. Plants, for example, often consist of about ninety per cent water. It is the exact arrangement and patterning of these subtle tattwas, according to the karma of the individual soul, and within the context of the total pattern and rhythm of nature, which determines the body of a particular species. Instinct, of course, is a pre-programmed part of this inward, subtle matrix which makes a cow a cow, or a spider a spider, in both outward form and behavioural patterns. A creature does not need to learn to be a cow or a spider or indeed a man. The basic patterns, both inward and outward, are those with which a creature is born.

Man and Akash What about intelligence, then? You will observe that each of the five tattwas is related to the next higher tattwa, with akash holding the prime position as the creative space or vacuum, the matrix of subtle vibration out of which the other four tattwas are derived. Only man has akash. It is the linkage of the inward, subtle form of akash into our human mental energetic structure that gives us the level of intelligence with which we, as humans, are familiar. It gives us foresight; it provides us with the mental capacity to take an overview of things, both in our sensory impressions (i.e. an awareness of space), as well as in our minds. We are able to assess possibilities, to work them through in our minds, considering the potential outcome and to make appropriate decisions. It therefore gives us the ability to think creatively and to discriminate to manipulate the other four tattwas, making us feel that we are free certainly more free than the lower creatures. At least we seem to have a perception of choice, however hemmed in by mental habit and socio-psychological conditioning and circumstances we may be. Just as space or akash provides for the manifestation of the other four tattwas, so too does the

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integration of this tattwa into our inner make-up give us the mental space, the complete picture, to see how the universe is put together. It has been said by anthropologists that all of mans culture and civilization have arisen from just two factors: his ability to manipulate objects in a complex manner, and his language. The differences between man and chimpanzee are said to be more behavioural than anatomical that is: of the mind. But both of these two faculties arise from one common factor: mans foresight, his ability to assess and discriminate, in his mind, the possible outcome of events or the effect of doing certain things. All these faculties arise from the integration of akash into our inner mind structure. In the outer world, akash is the spacial or vacuum energy out of which all material substance comes into being. In our mind, it gives us the ability to see the relationships between all things and how events might turn out, given certain circumstances. Akash is the point of integration and unification. It is thus the true unified field of physics, whilst in our mind it is the factor which permits us to see the unitary wholeness within all things. The capacity for language arises because we can mentally perceive the relationships between things and wish to express or give utterance to it. Similarly, it is the origin of our ability to manipulate our environment, consciously and creatively. It is the linkage of akash into our mental configuration which permits this. Without akash, we are animals. This is why meditation, over time, gradually increases an individuals ability to discriminate wisely, with foresight, and to see things as a whole. Because the more the mind is concentrated, the less are our thoughts divided, and the more we see the Oneness and integration at the true heart of things. The presence of akash in our inner mental make-up gives us this potential. Mans distinguishing foresight and discrimination thus arise from his ability to mentally project and conceive the possible outcome of events. Events are only changes in spacial patterning spun out over time. It means, therefore, that we have a greater grasp of space and time in our mental configuration than other creatures. This is conferred upon us by the integration of akash into our mental make-up. Akash is a real energy field or plane in the energy hierarchy of the greater Mind. A hawk or pigeon may have a three-dimensional eyesight profoundly more perceptive than our own. But this is not reflected in their mental conception of space. They react instinctively to stimuli, with no evidence of their possessing any deep understanding of space and time. They cannot figure things out. That requires the foresight which only man has. Even apes and dolphins do not possess that faculty to the degree that man does. They do not discriminate in the way humans can mentally assessing the possible outcome of particular choices. A chimpanzee never planted a field of bananas, however strong its desire for them. All this arises from the integration of akash. Akash being the formative matrix, interface or space of each region in the inner hierarchy of creation automatically confers the key to our understanding of space and time. For space and time are the underlying framework within which all change and pattern are manifested. For this reason, akash is also translated sometimes as sky, not in the sense of our earthly sky, but as the formative energy field above a particular region, from which everything in that region is created or manifested. Now, the natural law is: the greater the number of active tattwas, then the greater the consciousness and hence intelligence of the creature and incidentally the larger the brain required, relative to body size, to bring into manifestation the greater inward complexity of the creature for communication, language, memory and so on. In this sense, intelligence is the ability to mentally or inwardly grasp an increasing multiplicity of facets concerning the outside world, and then to relate them to consciousness. Each of the four tattwas has specific characteristics and it is variation within these that brings

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about the variation of species within a class; ape from rabbit, for example, rabbit from rat, or bat from whale. For apes, rabbits, bats and whales are all mammals, all four tattwad creatures. Species are different from each other because they are inwardly comprised of different tattvic configurations. Given, therefore, that species have different tattwas linked into their subtle structure, we can expect to find creatures manifesting qualities, behaviour and sensory perceptions which reflect that inward patterning. And this is indeed the case.

Man and Free-Will It is often said that what makes man different from animals is that he is self-aware and seems to possess free-will. As we have seen, both of these characteristics arise from the integration of akash into our inner mental fabric. Akash is the formative matrix out of which the lower creation is formed and conversely by which the lower vibration is communicated to the more subtle. It is an energy gateway or crossroads in the hierarchy of creation. When linked into our mental constitution, it is akash which thus gives us a sense of our place within the total tapestry of life, that is: it gives us our human sense of identity. But with our mind running out away from its centre of consciousness behind the two eyes, we lose awareness of our real place in the scheme of things and develop the human sense of identity in an imbalanced manner. This we call egotism an illusion created by our descent into unconsciousness. And with the misconstrued perception concerning the real nature of human identity comes our illusory sense of free-will. It is very clear that our freedom to act and think is hemmed in on all sides by physical circumstances and by the habituated, psychological and subconscious content of our mind and emotions. To think that we have free-will is as illusory as the imbalanced sense of identity, the ego, which thinks it has such freedom. The sense of I-ness and the illusion of free-will thus arise together. If we were to leave aside the question of free-will and examine the nature of the I who thinks it has this free-will, we would find that the paradox of free-will begins to be dissolved, rather than resolved. As the mind refocuses back at the eye centre (the ajna chakra behind the eyes), the illusory sense of I-ness gives way to a clear perception of our real place within the scheme of things. Then we are aware of the conditioned nature of our free-will and develop a totally different inner experience of the nature of our I-ness. Then we become increasingly identified with the Divine Source within us. Ultimately, all sense of the little I disappears as the greater self of the Supreme takes its place. It is a question of expanding our consciousness to become the Universal Consciousness. Only then are we truly free, one with the Supreme Creative Power within everything.

Ego, Thought and the Scattered Mind Every thought we have contains an element of I-ness, of ego. When we sit in meditation and attempt consciously to still these thoughts, then we find how little control we have of our mind, and hence of our sense of ego or identity. A still mind begins to lose its egocentric awareness because it is the agitated mind, full of subconscious mental activity of I-related thought,

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motivation and emotions which automatically generates the minds sense of ego. The two go hand in hand. Ego implies that the mind is dwelling below the eye centre in a subconscious and scattered manner. As the mind becomes still, at the eye centre, the discriminatory quality bestowed by akash becomes more consciously manifested and we gain a greater understanding and conscious perception of our place in the scheme of things. This is balanced human identity, a natural part of human mind structure. When the stillness of this balanced perception is disturbed by the mind moving out (e-moting) from its natural centre in uncontrolled thought and emotion, the outcome is automatically a disturbance to this natural perception of things. This distorted perception becomes our experience of human ego. And the greater the agitation, the greater is the degree of subconsciousness, of movement away from the centre, and the greater is the illusory distortion to our sense of being. Hence the expressions out to lunch or on an ego trip and so on. The solution to all of this is therefore not a psychological analysis of our egocentric personality, for this is little more than ego obsessed with ego. The solution lies in stilling the mind at the eye centre. The imbalanced ego then subsides, like waves after a storm, leaving serenity, stillness and a heightened consciousness.

More details can be found in John Davidsons books on Science and Mysticism: Subtle Energy (1987) The Web of Life (1988) The Secret of the Creative Vacuum (1989) Natural Creation and the Formative Mind (1990) Natural Creation or Natural Selection? (1992) One Being One (2010) www.johndavidson.org

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